A Sleepless Night
by Written Fire
Summary: Harry and Ginny find comfort in each other after their night terrors.   Set in OOTP, slight AU. One-shot.


_Here's another one shot; it's the longest I've written!_

_I wrote it as a (VERY) late birthday present for my friend, who happens to be a writer on here!_

_turtle53_

_Check her out, she writes some great stuff._

_Well, I hope you enjoy this! _

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><p>Ginny ran down the hallways, the sound of her shoes hitting the ground loud in the stillness of the night. She was running to avoid her Michael Corner, her boyfriend—correction, her <em>ex <em>boyfriend. Again. They had broken up previously due to Michael's childish reaction to Gryffindor winning in the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match, and had gotten back together the past week when he came up and apologized just days after it. She had accepted, and things had been going well. That is, at least, until tonight.

They had met in an empty classroom after curfew, so they could finally have some privacy. Things had been going well, until…Ginny shook her head, chasing those thoughts out of her mind, feeling a shiver run down her back. Her breathing was heavy, her legs sore. All she wanted was to stop and rest, but she refrained from doing so, not fond of the idea of Michael catching up to her. It wouldn't be a pretty reunion, to say the least.

Looking back behind her and seeing no sign of Michael anywhere, Ginny slowed down and gradually came to a stop, leaning against the wall nearest her. Bending over, her hands went to her knees while she tried to slow her heart rate back down to normal. She had just succeeded in doing so when a noise behind her made her jump, her heart rate sky rocketing as she quickly spun around, wand held out in front of her as she looked for the culprit.

Seeing no one, Ginny frowned in confusion, narrowing her eyes and wishing she could cast a Lumos, which was unfortunately out of the question. She jumped in fright when one was cast, turning to run until she heard her name spoken behind her in a voice she knew, very well.

"Ginny!" he hissed, watching as she turned back around, looking to where the Lumos was glowing just seconds before.

"Harry?" she asked quietly, watching as he suddenly appeared, his invisibility cloak held tightly in one hand. "What are you doing out so late?" she asked him, lowering her wand as he stepped closer.

"Couldn't sleep. What are _you _doing out so late?" he asked suspiciously.

"Um." Ginny bit her lip, trying to quickly think of a lie. She was saved from answering though, when they heard a soft meow coming from down the corridor.

"Filch's cat." Harry said, his face losing a bit of color. Looking behind him, he saw the cat coming closer, and knew its owner wouldn't be far behind. "Quick, get under the cloak!" he whispered, meeting her half way and throwing the cloak over them both. Harry's arm snaked around her waist, bringing her closer so the cloak would fall evenly on them. Ginny could hear him muttering under his breath, his head turned to the side as he watched out for Ms. Norris.

Placing her slightly shaking hands on his chest, Ginny tried to ignore how hard her heart was beating in her chest due to the close proximity to Harry. She had never quite gotten over her crush on him, and would have momentary lapses at the most inopportune times. Like now, for instance. She knew he was only holding her like he was because the cloak didn't cover like it used too, due to the fact that they had all grown. Ginny had never had the pleasure of hiding under the cloak with Harry and right at that second she was regretting that fact.

"Stay close." Harry whispered in her ear after what felt like minutes later. Nodding, she watched him turn around, switching his grasp to her hand as he pulled her close behind him, walking as fast as they could without alerting the cat to their whereabouts. They walked down a few more corridors before Harry suddenly stopped, causing Ginny to run into his back. Saying nothing about it, he looked around before opening the door to an empty classroom and pulling her in after him, pulling the cloak off them both as he let go of her hand, walking further into the classroom and sitting on top of a desk.

Ginny closed the door behind her as she watched him, slowly walking towards him and sitting down beside him, fidgeting in the silence as she tried to get comfortable.

"So…what are you doing out so late?" Harry repeated his question from earlier, watching her heave out a deep breath before looking up at him.

"I was with Michael." She said, watching his nose crinkle in distaste. "I know." She sighed.

"Why?" Harry asked, watching as she broke eye contact and looked down at her lip.

Ginny shrugged, sighing. "I don't know. He came up to me and apologized a few days after the match, and I just…I accepted and we got back together.

"So you've been back together for a while…why didn't you tell any of us?" he asked quietly, a little hurt.

"Because I knew the reactions, especially from my brothers, wouldn't be…pleasant." She replied, smoothing her skirt down with a frown, shuddering as a flash of Michael's hand inching its way up her thigh flashed through her mind.

Harry noticed the shudder and frowned, the frown becoming more prominent when he thought back to earlier in the night. "Ginny…why were you running? Earlier, in the hallway."

"You saw me?" she asked, shocked, blinking up at him. "For how long?" she asked after he nodded.

"Not long. You passed me a few corridors from the wall you stopped at." He stated keeping eye contact with her and watching as her gaze turned inward. She bit her lip, debating on whether she wanted to tell him or not. When she finally pulled herself out of her head and noticed him patiently watching, her decision was made for her.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny gathered her Gryffindor courage and prepared herself to relive the horrific events of the night.

_Ginny checked over her shoulder again, making sure no one had suddenly appeared before sneaking out of the Gryffindor common room, and quietly making her way down the hall. She had stayed up late on the pretense of studying with Hermione, and had bid her goodnight just a few minutes ago, when the clock struck twelve. She was still wearing her uniform, but was without the cloak and tie, her red hair up in a ponytail._

_She was smiling as she walked, making sure to keep in the shadows and to stay alert, not wanting to be caught out after hours. She was on her way to see her boyfriend, down in the room of requirement. They had made plans to meet there earlier in the day, when they were almost caught snogging by one of her brothers. It would have been disastrous, to say the least. _

_Making it down the corridor, she walked back and forth in front of the blank wall three times, smiling when a door appeared. Grasping the handle and pulling it open, she squealed when she was quickly grabbed and pulled in, her body hitting another's before she was pushed against the door, closing it. The hand that had been holding her arm slide down to her waist, its owner pulling her close. _

"_Hey." Michael said, smiling down at her. Ginny led out the breath she had been holding when she heard his voice, lifting her head and making eye contact._

"_Hi. You just scared me half to death, you know that?" she stated, her hands resting on his chest._

"_Sorry 'bout that. I was just excited to see you." Michael apologized, giving her a sheepish grin. _

"_That's alright…did you make it down here ok?" she asked him, leaning back against the door._

"_Yeah. I almost ran into Filch, but other than that…did you?" he asked, his other hand coming to a rest on her waist also._

"_Yes. I had a clear path here, actually. No one was out." She smiled, moving her hands up to rest on his shoulders. "Now, about scaring me…how are you going to make that up to me?" she asked, grinning up at him when he moved closer to her. _

"_Well, I could buy you chocolates. Or flowers, a new quill…or, I could kiss you senseless." He said, musing aloud._

"_I think options one and four sound great." She said, smiling._

"_In a particular order?" he asked._

"_Nope." She answered._

"_Well in that case…" he bent his head slightly and brought it to her level, placing his lips on hers. _

_Ginny smiled through the kiss, her hands making their way up into his hair as he brought them even closer. Ginny pulled back for air soon after when her lungs started hurting, eyes closed as she leaned her head against the door behind her. She bit her lip when she felt him kiss his way down her neck, his hands going lower, stopping on her hips. Tugging on his hair slightly, she brought his lips back up to hers and kissed him again, tilting her head to deepen it._

_Getting caught up in the kiss, Ginny failed to notice Michael's hands wandering down her thighs. She did, however, notice when his hands wandered up underneath her skirt. Pulling back from the kiss, Ginny moved her hands down to his shoulders. "Michael, your hands need to move." She said, a bit breathlessly. _

"_Alright." He said, moving them up higher._

_Frowning, Ginny pushed him slightly. "The other way, Michael." Michael just smiled at her, moving them up until they hit her underwear, a finger slipping in under the lace on the bottom, a little to close to an area for her comfort._

"_Seriously Michael, get your hands out from under my skirt." Ginny demanded, shoving him away from her. He stumbled back, his hands coming off of her. When he regained his footing, he looked up at her. As if just realizing what he had done, he winced._

"_Shit. I'm sorry, Gin. I don't know what came over me." He told her, running shaky hands through his hair. Ginny watched him, frowning. _

"_It's…ok. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." She said slowly, not entirely sure whether she should believe him or not. She watched as he moved closer, keeping her eyes locked on his as she, as discreetly as possible, checked to make sure her wand was still where she left it, in between her underwear and the back of her skirt. Breathing a mental sigh of relief when she found that it was, Ginny reached behind her for the door handle._

"_It won't, I promise." Michael told her, stopping in front of her and raising his hands to cup her cheeks. "I'm so sorry." He said again, gently kissing her._

_Ginny kissed him back, sighing. "Ok. I should probably go, though."_

_"Stay, please. Let me make it up to you." He said, leaning his forehead against hers. Ginny closed her eyes as she thought, weighing her options in her mind._

"_Alright…"she said, watching him smile in relief. "But only for a little while longer." She added, feeling him nod against her._

"_Thank you." Michael smiled at her, kissing her again. "You won't regret it." He added, wrapping his arms around her waist._

_**I hope not.**__ Ginny thought as she wrapped hers around his neck, leaning into him. They stayed that way for a while, eventually getting back to kissing, rather tentatively on Ginny's part, who was still fearful of a repeat. After a while she calmed down, getting more into the kiss. Her hands were back in his hair, his on her hips again._

_Michael's hands, much to Ginny's dismay, wound up in the same place that they had ended up in their last make out session, making her frown as she pushed him away. This time, however, he didn't budge. _

"_Michael. Get your hands off of me." She demanded again, pushing on his arms when he, instead of removing them, just added more fingers under the lace. Starting to panic when that failed to make him stop, Ginny tried shoving at him again. "Michael! Let go of me!" she shouted at him, shoving on his chest._

"_Mm…no." he said, grinning up at her as he grabbed her underwear and starting tugging it down. Eyes wide, Ginny's reaction to that was very muggle like: she kneed him in that oh so sensitive spot. _

_Gasping, Michael let go of her as he fell to his knees with a groan of pain. Recognizing the chance to escape, Ginny wasted no time in flinging the door open, hitting the top of Michael's head with it as she ran out. She had barely made it to the end of the corridor before she was grabbed from behind and flung, screaming as she landed on the floor with a loud 'thud', her wand, loose due to the events, flying out and hitting the wall, falling to the ground feet away from her._

_Wide eyed, Ginny looked from it up to Michael, going pale when she saw the anger in his eyes. "You bitch." He hissed a hand on his head while the other reached into his robes for his wand. _

_Ginny crawled back in fear, eyes locked onto his. "Accio wand!" she screamed, feeling relief flood through her when it landed in her hand seconds later. She quickly rolled towards the wall, just barely escaping the 'Petrificus Totalus!' Michael had thrown at her. _

"_Expelliarmus!" she shouted, catching his wand in her other hand. Quickly standing, she breathlessly Bat Bogey'd him, not bothering to stay and watch the effects before she took off, throwing his wand away from a few corridors later. _

When Ginny finished telling Harry about the nights previous events, she was sobbing into his shoulder. Harry had his arm wrapped around her, pushing slightly against her arm. Getting the point, Ginny sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him as she continued to cry. Harry wrapped both arms around her, rocking Ginny as he comforted the best he could.

By the time she was through crying, Harry's t-shirt was soaked and Ginny was exhausted, spent from shedding so many tears. Pulling back, Ginny wiped the tears from her face and avoided making eye contact with Harry. "Sorry…I got your shirt all wet." She mumbled, sniffling.

"That's alright. Ginny…are you okay?" he asked her quietly, concern evident in his voice.

"No. But I will be." She answered, looking up at him. "Thank you Harry." She smiled. "You're a great friend."

Harry smiled back at her. "You're welcome Gin." He said, laying his head atop of hers when she rested it back into the crook of his neck with a small sigh.

They sat there like that for a while, just enjoying each others company. Harry yawned, realizing how late it was and that they should probably head back up to Gryffindor tower before they fell asleep and were caught.

"Ginny…Gin, wake up." He whispered, shaking her slightly when she didn't nudge. Ginny woke with a yawn, arms going above her head in a back popping stretch.

"What?" she asked, blinking tiredly up at him. Harry smiled, pushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"We need to leave. Don't want to get caught." Harry said, watching her nod, mumbling 'right' before getting off his lap, smoothing down her skirt. Harry hopped down afterwards, stretching before grabbing his cloak. Stepping towards her, he threw it over them both, grabbing her hand as he had earlier and leading the way out of the class and up to the tower.

They managed to avoid running into anyone on the way, Harry whispering the password to the Fat Lady, who sleepily let them in, not seeming to notice that no body accompanied the voice. As he climbed in, Harry took off the cloak, holding it in one hand while he turned back to Ginny and watched as she came through.

Ginny looked up to see him standing there, running a hand through his hair as he thought, a slight frown on his face. She watched him open and close his mouth a few times, before realizing that he had nothing to say. That or he couldn't figure how to say it. After a few minutes of awkwardly standing there, neither knowing what to say, Ginny finally broke the silence.

"Are you going to be able to sleep?" she blurted out, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"…huh?" Harry asked, frowning in confusion. Ginny blushed, looking down at her feet before making eye contact again.

"You said you couldn't sleep. Do you think you'll be able to now?" she asked him again.

"Oh, right. Uh, I guess so. What about you?" Harry asked, looking at her in concern.

"I think so. I mean, I fell asleep on you right?" she asked, blushing.

"Right." Harry answered.

"Well…goodnight, Harry." Ginny said after a few minutes of silence, walking to him and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Feeling his wrap around her waist, Ginny closed her eyes in contentment. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek before she lost her nerve and detangling herself from him, not looking back as she headed up the stairs so he wouldn't see the blush that consumed her face.

Harry blinked, his free hand going to his cheek as he stood there, wondering why it was tingling. Shrugging, Harry pushed the matter to the back of his mind, turning and walking up the stairs to his bed. Quietly slipping into the room, Harry placed his invisibility cloak back into his trunk and climbed into bed. His last thought before falling asleep was on how he was going to make Michael pay for doing his treatment to Ginny.

Needless to say, Michael ended up in the Hospital Wing with a rather nasty rash that Madam Pomfrey had trouble removing, and what seemed like a never ending nosebleed. It was the topic of choice for days, everyone trying to figure out who the culprit was.

When she heard about it, Ginny looked over at Harry who had a smug look on his face. Realizing he was being watched, Harry looked over at Ginny, catching her mouthed 'thank you' and the smile that accompanied it. Feeling his cheek tingle again, Harry smiled back, watching as she turned to laugh at something her friend beside her said. Turning his attention back to his best friends, Harry watched as Ron laughed through a mouth full of food and Hermione scolded him, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Smiling, Harry continued to eat his breakfast, the moment and the strange tingling getting put in the same place as the kiss: the back of his mind.

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><p><em>Well, I hope you enjoyed this.<em>

_That scene between her and Michael was difficult to write, and I hope it didn't show._

_Reviews would be greatly appreciated._


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